It is a time of CIVIL WAR! Guilbert du Vandes, the self-styled Grand Duke of Northumbria has imprisoned his own wife Josephine du Vandes in the highest tower in the capital city of Garenport. The nobility that favor her over her husband have retreated to their country estates to plot their next moves, and the Lady’s Guard have become desperate and dangerous outlaws. Accusations from the Grand Duke that she is guilty of the most vile witchcraft have inflamed the passions of the common people against her. Mobs are in the streets every day, and riots are common. The countryside is inflamed with anti-nobility sentiment. Travel in the area is dangerous and tense.

The Lord Mayor of the Southumbria is breathing a sigh of relief. The Grand Duke had made clear his intention of annexing by force, if necessary, the entire Hill Country area and promoting himself to King. His troubles at home will end that ambition, at least for a time.

YOU have heard these disturbing rumors, but in the meantime, there are problems closer to your home in the south that occupy your attention. As a freelance bounty hunter for supernatural threats, you suspect that your attention will be drawn to Garenport... as soon as you can get things to stay calm for five minutes so you can think about it! But powerful patrons are taking notice of you, and will soon have their own reasons to send you up North to see what's going on.

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The game will be played using the Dark Fantasy X rules. All starting characters must be human, although later additional races will be "unlocked" once you've had a chance to see their role and place in the setting.

It is expected that the first leg of the game will take place solely in the Hill Country region of the setting. This is a frontier area like the Old West if it had been settled by Robin Hood era British. Northumbria is under the control of Garenport and its Grand Duke Guilbert du Vandes. Garenport is the major city, but a number of other towns, trading posts, villages and hamlets rely on the strength of Garenport for protection. Southumbria looks for protection to the less hierarchical government of the Lord-Mayor of Barrowmere; Edmund Rewald. You will begin play in Barrowmere.

Your characters might all be here with slightly different goals depending on their patron. You may pick patrons from the following list, and that will have some impact on the game early on. If you wish, everyone can pick the same patron, or you can pick different ones. This is foreshadowing; pick a patron now, but we'll roleplay the initial meeting with the patron after a short "get started" adventure is done first.

Lord Anstal Tane: This middle-aged noble is a Northumbrian native, but has been living in exile in Barrowmere for a decade and a half. He was once engaged to the Grand Duchess, before her involvement with the Grand Duke made that impossible, and he had to flee a bad political situation. He is desperate to know what is happening with her and if she is in need of rescue from the Grand Duke or his subjects.

Gnumus Silesus: A representative of a powerful trading syndicate from Lomar in the north that has a great deal of money tied up in Northumbria and is concerned about its investment; including bribes to the Grand Duke for prime land on which to build a caravanserai and dock on the Darkling Sea. Rumors are that in the chaos, the Grand Duke may seize all lands not already under the control of his allies. Silesus will pay handsomely to protect the syndicate’s investment.

Sir Liamond Wreldane: The Hill Country Rangers are not loyal to either of the two rival city-states, but rather directly to the people of the Hill Country. Sir Wreldane represents the rare and secretive Shadows of the Rangers, who concern themselves with supernatural threats. He has credible reports of suspicious and dangerous activity in Garenport, but contrary to the reports of the Grand Duke, he’s not so sure that the rumors of their nature are true, or if some other source is to blame for the shady goings-on in Garenport.

Lord-Captain Embric Stane: A retired commander of the Lady’s Guard, the Grand Duchess’ personal paramilitary organization, Lord-Captain Stane is still hale enough to wield a sword, and along with some of his other compatriots living quietly in Southumbria is considering a dramatic return to active duty to save Garenport from itself. However, given the rumors and what he knows of both the Grand Duke and his wife, he’s not sure which of the two of them it needs saving from and is hoping your report can convince his forces which way to throw their weight if they decide to enter the fray.

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The themes of this campaign will include intrigue,  horror, investigation, and swashbuckling action. Imagine a combination of supernatural horror and fantasy, with no doubt a fair bit of dry gallows humor. Think of traditional fantasy meeting the X-files and Jason Bourne, and that's the right tone. This is not a pre-written campaign, so your choices will drive the direction that it goes, and elements of your character design and background are expected to play an important role.